The present invention relates to dispensers for seasonings or condiments, and particularly to dispensers capable of selectively dispensing any one of several varieties of seasoning which are individually stored.
In order to facilitate and simplify the preparation of foods, many types of seasoning or condiment dispensers capable of dispensing one or more seasonings in one or two ways have already been proposed in the art.
Thus, one type of container for selectively dispensing a single material to be used in food preparation from either a large opening or "shaker" opening is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,272, while similar structures not necessarily intended for dispensing substances in connection with food preparation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 775,202; 2,029,219; and 2,551,203.
A number of types of containers for dispensing either salt or pepper contained in separate compartments, each through a single associated set of openings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 646,846; 1,267,564; 1,273,779; 1,515,513; 1,568,160; 2,065,061; and 2,241,044. One type of container for dispensing either one of two seasoning substances through either one of two types of dispensing openings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,539.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,925,962 discloses a container having three compartments each provided with one associated set of dispensing openings, together with a movable cap having a window which can be aligned with the openings of any one of those compartments.
It has also been proposed to provide a container with more than three compartments for storing a number of different types of seasoning or condiment. One such structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,075. This arrangement includes a rotatable cap provided with both dispensing openings and an outlet passage, together with an associated shutter located within the cap and movable essentially independently of the cap between an opening position and a closing position. This structure requires separate manipulation of the cap and the shutter and can include only a single set of dispensing openings for dispensing material from the selected compartment.